The present invention relates to ozone generators, and more specifically, an ozone generator capable of producing at least 10 grams of ozone per hour when operated on ambient air.
Ozone is well known as a disinfectant and a potent oxidant. It is used in such applications as a water treatment, cooling tower, odor control agent, agriculture/aquaculture and other industrial applications. The generation of ozone for commercial purposes may be accomplished in a number of well-known methods, including corona discharge. Ozone generators have been well known, and various embodiments have been well documented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,260 discloses an ozone generator having parallel mounted ozonizing elements, each consisting of water-cooled inner and outer electrodes mounted coaxially with a constant gap through which passes the gas to be treated and in which an electric discharge is initiated. Cooling chambers communicate with gaps between adjacent ozonizing elements. As another representative example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,701 discloses an ozone genertor having a cylindrical tube ground electrode with a dielectric on an inner peripheral surface for communicating a feed gas chamber with an ozonized gas chamber. A hollow cylindrical high voltage electrode with a predetermined discharge gap is disposed concentrically with the cylindrical ground electrode. Cooling water is supplied to a water jacket surrounding the ground electrode. The cylindrical tube ground electrode and the hollow cylindrical high voltage electrode define the ozone generating tube. As a final example of well-known ozone generators, ozone generated by injection of oxygen or oxygen enriched air into a corona discharge zone formed between concentric inner tubular electrode/dielectric and outer tubular electrodes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,809.
The treatment of foods with ozone is also well known, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,833, wherein low pressure ozone gas is delivered to a food product by an injector.
It is highly desirable that any ozone generator be capable of utilizing ambient air, such that expensive pretreatment of feed air not be required. Heretofore, ozone generators have been extremely susceptible to moisture in the air feed, as water vapor in the air may cause unwanted sparking. The high temperatures created in ozone generators may cause the creation of nitric acid, which is deleterious to the longevity of such devices.